Northern Medical Program: One Year To Go
August 28, 2003 For Immediate
Release
In one year from now, the first students in the Northern Medical Program
(NMP) will begin their studies. The
NMP is a component of BC's Medical School, a partnership involving UBC,
UVic, and UNBC to double the number of physicians trained in BC.
The NMP's first class of 24 students will complete their first semester
at UBC starting next August, but will be able to complete the remainder
of their medical education in northern BC, taking courses at the UNBC
campus in Prince George and learning from doctors in various communities
around northern BC. The coming year will mark a number of milestones:
- Applications from prospective students will be accepted until October
1. Interviews with candidates for medical school will begin in the late
winter.
- The Northern
Medical Programs Trust will determine initial criteria for supporting
northern students pursuing education in the health professions. To date,
19 northern BC communities have begun fundraising to ensure northern medical
students are not financially disadvantaged during their studies. The Northern
Medical Programs Trust is aiming to establish a $6 million endowment over
the next 4-5 years.
- UNBC and UBC have recently appointed Dr David Snadden to lead the development
of the Northern Medical Program. Five other faculty are being recruited
for the NMP.
-
Wayne Watson Construction of Prince George is currently building the 4,000
square metre Northern
Health Sciences Centre at the University's Prince George campus. The
new facility will include classrooms, labs, and offices, and feature wood
construction and state-of-the-art technology. The building will be complete
by the summer of 2004.
- In January, some current first-year UBC medical students will be participating
in a "prototypical week" to pilot and evaluate the major course
delivery methods that will be used in the distributed medical education
program. Eight students will participate in this dress rehearsal week
in Prince George. The NMP will soon be approaching local physicians about
helping with the prototypical week.
For more information about the Northern Medical Program and BC's Medical
School, visit the website at www.unbc.ca/nmp.